Time for tax on greenhouse emissions

Superstorm Sandy may not directly have been caused by climate change — it’s hard to blame a hurricane on any one single cause — but climate change probably made the devastation we saw along the East Coast a lot worse.

Since 1900, the sea level in the area around New York, especially near Battery Park, has risen about one foot, thanks in large part to melting ice caused by a changing climate. That extra foot increased the size of Sandy’s storm surges, contributing to massive flooding along the coasts.

At the same time, the warmer seas that result when ice melts make it easier for hurricanes to form. This ice melt comes partly as a result of the carbon and other greenhouse gases trapped in the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels.

Our communities are already paying the price for Congress’ failure to take action on climate change. It’s time for Congress to put a price on the carbon pollution that’s driving the climate emergency.